Expert Picks: Best Value SIM-Only Mobile Plans (June 2020)

If you’re looking to save money and break the ‘new phone every two years’ contract cycle, a postpaid SIM-only mobile plan is the way to go. Swapping to SIM-only gives you almost all of the benefits of a standard postpaid phone-on-a-plan deal, without the added expense of a new phone or the commitment of a long-term contract. And if you’d rather not be caught out running low on credit, it’s also a great alternative to prepaid plans.

Of course, with so many options on the market, it’s not always easy to the find the right plan for your needs. That’s why we’ve compiled this quick guide to some of the best value bring-your-own-phone plans available right now.

How we help you find the best plan

Using Canstar Blue’s unique Value Score, we’ve singled out several plans that combine great features with competitive monthly pricing. This ranking is determined by looking at each plan’s average monthly cost compared with similar plans on the market, as well as functionality and features such as plan inclusions, provider customer service and support, and billing and payment options. Overall, if a plan has a lower cost but better features and inclusions, it’s likely to receive a higher Value Score than a more expensive plan, or one with less features.

The Value Scores for mobile products are displayed on Canstar Blue’s comparison tool, and are the default sort method when searching for mobile plans. Each included plan is given a Value Score of between 0 and 10, with a higher number indicating a better value product. More information on how Canstar Blue’s Value Rank works can be found here.

If you’re ready to pair your phone with the flexibility of a SIM-only plan, we’ve picked out several high-scoring options below. Whether you’re after a bare-bones deal, or something with plenty of monthly data, read on to see our highest-ranked options in the below categories.

Best value budget plan

Southern Phone X Small 12 Month Plan

Value score: 9.3

If you’re a very light data user who prefers to use your phone for calls and texts, Southern Phone’s $9 SIM plan gives you everything you need for less than $10 per month. This plan includes 1GB of data each month, as well as unlimited calls and texts to standard Australian numbers. You will need to sign up for 12 months, but the year-long commitment offers set-and-forget convenience for low-level mobile users..

The following table shows Southern Phone’s $9 X Small plan on a 12-month contract. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.

What’s good about this plan:

Complete Optus 4G Plus network coverage.

Unlimited talk and text in Australia, plus data, for less than $10 per month.

No setup fees or SIM card charges.

What to look out for:

Plan does require a 12-month commitment, so not as flexible as other low-cost options.

Users with heavy data needs may prefer a plan with more included full-speed gigabytes, such as Southern Phone’s $22 plan with 18GB.

Excess data is charged at $10 for one extra gigabyte, with up to 3GB of additional data available at this rate.

Best value plan for everyday use

Moose Mobile 29 SIM Only (12M)

Value score: 8.7

Moose Mobile offers a variety of no-contract and 12-month plans on the Optus network, all of which include unlimited standard national talk and text in Australia. If you’re looking for a great mid-range plan with plenty of data and a price under $30, Moose Mobile’s 29 SIM Only plan offers a huge 35GB per month on a 12-month contract, plus $200 of international credit for overseas calls, texts, and MMS.

The following table shows Moose Mobile’s $29 SIM-only plan on a 12-month contract. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.

What’s good about this plan:

Complete Optus 4G Plus network coverage.

Unlimited talk and text in Australia, plus $200 of international talk and text credit each month.

No setup fees or SIM card charges.

What to look out for:

Plan does require a 12-month commitment, and early termination charges apply if you cancel early.

International roaming not included, but can be added by contacting customer service.

Excess data is charged at $15.36 per gigabyte.

Best value plan with big data

Optus Medium Choice Plan

Value score: 8.7

Optus has become a go-to option for Aussies wanting plenty of monthly gigabytes, and its new $49 Medium Choice SIM-only plan is no exception. For under $50 per month, you’ll get 60GB of data, plus unlimited standard talk and text in Australia and unlimited standard international talk and texting to 35 selected countries. This plan also includes data pooling and free access to Optus Sport, as well as a free six-month Apple Music trial.

The following table shows Optus’ Medium Choice SIM-only plan. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers.

What’s good about this plan:

Plenty of international and entertainment extras.

No lock-in contract, allowing customers to switch between Optus plans as required.

Generous data which can be shared between other Optus plans on the same account.

What to look out for:

International roaming isn’t included, but customers can add this to their account via the Build Your Own Plan option.

Doesn’t include unlimited speed capped data, which is available on similar plans from Telstra and Vodafone.

If you combine your plan with an Optus device payment, you’ll be under contract for your phone repayments.

Best value Telstra SIM plan

Small Plan

Value score: 4.6

Telstra’s $50 Small plan offers a huge 15GB of full-speed data each month, plus unlimited standard talk and text in Australia. Like Vodafone, Telstra also provides bill shock backup, including unlimited speed-capped data (limited to 1.5Mbps) on all postpaid plans. The Small plan also features data-free streaming from Apple Music, plus data-free AFL, AFLW, NRL and Netball streaming.

The following table shows Telstra’s Small SIM-only plan. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.

What’s good about this plan:

Unlimited data capped at 1.5Mbps – no data overage fees in Australia.

3G and 4GX networks cover around 99% of Australians.

Plenty of extras, including data-free Telstra Sport and data-free Apple Music streaming (subscription not included).

What to look out for:

International extras aren’t included, but are available as optional add-ons from $10 per month.

Users with heavy data needs may prefer a plan with more included full-speed gigabytes.

Comparatively more expensive than other plans with similar data inclusions.

Best value Vodafone SIM plan

$35 SIM Only 12 Month

Value score: 6.8

If you’re looking for a simple plan with average monthly data inclusions, Vodafone’s $35 Red plan has you covered. This plan includes 5GB of monthly full-speed data, plus unlimited standard national talk and text in Australia and unlimited standard texts to overseas. If you’re wanting more data for streaming, chat or social media, you can also add Vodafone Passes from $5 per month – these give you unlimited data for specific apps, albeit capped at 1.5Mbps speeds.

The following table shows Vodafone’s Medium $35 Red SIM-only plan. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.

What’s good about this plan:

Unlimited international texts as well as unlimited standard Australian inclusions.

Trade-up options available if you have an unwanted device.

Customers can bundle this plan with other eligible Vodafone mobile and NBN plans to save up to 20% on plan fees.

What to look out for:

Network coverage not as extensive regionally when compared to Telstra or Optus.

Doesn’t include unlimited 1.5Mbps data, which is available on Vodafone Red Plus plans – watch out for data overages.

International roaming not included, but $5 and $10 Roaming available in selected countries.

Best value Optus SIM plan

Small Choice Plan

Value score: 6.1

Winner of Canstar Blue’s 2019 Provider of the Year award for Phone on a Plan, Optus offers something for everyone, including massive data allowances, international extras, and bonus features. The telco’s Small Choice plan with 10GB is priced at just $39 per month, and includes unlimited standard talk and text in Australia, plus the option to pool data across multiple plans on a single account.

The following table shows Optus’ Small Choice plan. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers.

What’s good about this plan:

Separate from your phone payments, so you can change between Optus plans without affecting your repayments.

Data pooling available – share data across eligible plans on a single account.

Build-your-own-plan options available if you decide to upgrade – customers can add or subtract international features and save on monthly fees.

What to look out for:

Doesn’t include features found on other Optus Choice plans, including Optus Sport and free Apple Music subscriptions.

International calls and texts not included.

Heavy data users may prefer to upgrade to a larger plan with more monthly gigabytes.

Advertisement

Our Value Score & Methodology Explained

While pricing is always a major concern for consumers, there’s more to finding a great phone plan than simply looking for the cheapest deal. In addition to comparing on pricing alone, Canstar Blue also gives readers the opportunity to sort and search for plans based on our unique Value Score.

As mentioned above, Value Scores range from 1 to 10, with a higher score indicating a better value product. The Value Score consists of a Price Score and Feature Score: the Price Score accounts for 70% of Canstar Blue’s overall ranking, with the Feature Score contributing to 30%.

Price Score

Price Scores are calculated by comparing a plan’s average monthly cost to the price of other plans available in the Aussie market. Canstar Blue uses a plan’s average cost, rather than advertised prices, to account for plans that don’t renew on a standard monthly basis – for example, prepaid plans that expire every 10, 14, or 28 days. Using a plan’s average monthly cost, mean average monthly cost, and the standard deviation of the average monthly cost, Canstar Blue calculates and assigns a Price Score between 0 and 100.

Feature Score

The Feature Score compares over 100 features found on mobile plans, which are grouped into the following three categories:

Some providers may cap the provision of unlimited data at maximum speed. Once this cap is reached the provider will then revert you to a slower speed. See providers website for more details.

Referral Partners

By clicking on a brand, 'go to site' or ‘details’ button, you will leave Canstar Blue and be taken to our referral partner to compare. Canstar Blue may be paid for this referral. You agree that Canstar Blue’s terms and conditions apply to this referral.

Canstar Blue may earn a fee for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship may vary between providers. Generally, sponsorship fees are payable in addition to referral fees. Sponsored products are clearly disclosed as such on website pages. They may appear in a number of areas of the website such as in comparison tables, on hub pages and in articles. Sponsored products may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The table position of a Sponsored product does not indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. The table position of a Sponsored product does not change when a consumer changes the sort order of the table. For more information please see How Are We Funded.

To our knowledge, all information in articles on the Canstar Blue website was correct at the time of publication. This information may have changed over time. Refer to the product fact sheet (or relevant similar documentation) before making any purchase decision. Canstar Blue's website terms and conditions apply.